We first wrote this post in 2011 and are updating it now in 2015.
For a short month, February sure packs Presidential Punch. Four United States Presidents were born in February and we have the President's Day holiday to celebrate them. We're all familiar with Abraham Lincoln on the 12th and George Washington on the 22nd. This year marked the 104th anniversary of Ronald Reagan on February 6th. William Henry Harrison's 242nd birthday followed just three days later.
Here at Potluck Paradise headquarters we think these birthdays and all the other presidents provide a perfect platform for potluck. The menu could practically write itself. From Reagan's favorite Mac and Cheese through Washington's storied Cherry Pie there's a lot of good eating to be dished up from American History.
I have two favorite presidential recipe collections. In my Food Will Win the War blog (http://bit.ly/1AbNIcM), there are recipes from World War I. Eleven years before he was elected president, Herbert Hoover served voluntarily as the United States food commissioner during those days when we shipped vast quantities of wheat and meat, fats and sugar to our allies in Europe.
I've also written a book, Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen, with 55 recipes from his life and times. You'll find two of my favorite Lincoln recipes on other posts in this blog. The handy click-through index on the side will take you to his Gingerbread Men and a delightful appetizer or cracker called an A-Pee.
But back to the Presidential Potluck. There are several collections of "presidential favorite recipes" I've looked through a couple and drawn together a short list to get your potluck started. Dishes with * have recipes in this post or at other places within this Potluck Paradise blog. For the others, you can easily use your own favorite recipes for these suggestive dishes:
Entree
Ronald Reagan's Macaroni and Cheese
Dwight Eisenhower's Beef Stew -- beef, potatoes, carrots, small "boiling" onions simmered in beef stock and tomatoes seasoned with thyme, bay leaves, and garlic
James Buchanan's Pennsylvania Baked Sauerkraut -- 1 pound thinly sliced pork tenderloin browned quickly on both sides in a bit of butter in a large, oven-proof skillet; sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar; 1 pound package sauerkraut placed on top of the pork. Cover and bake in 325 oven until kraut is cooked, about 15 minutes. Watch as you may have to add a bit of water if the kraut is too dry.
Vegetables
FDR Salads and Veggies -- served at meals for King George IV and his wife Queen Elizabeth in June 1939
Lettuce with Roquefort Dressing, Asparagus with Saratoga Chips (thinly sliced potatoes, fried quickly), Mushrooms and Wine Sauce; Sliced Tomatoes, Buttered Beets, Cranberry Sauce
Herbert Hoover Red Cabbage* Find at Blog Archive February 4, 2015
Beverages
*Woodrow Wilson Prohibition Drinks
Dessert
* Herbert Hoover WWI Cake
*Lincoln Gingerbread Men
The Recipes
Prohibition Sour "A Drink for Men"
By the Drink
1 ounce lemon syrup (See recipe below)
1/2 ounce orange syrup
freshly squeezed juice of one lime
crushed ice
carbonated water, 6 ounces approximately
Put the syrups and lime juice into a 12-ounce glass and add a scoop of crushed ice. Fill with carbonated water, stir and serve garnished with a slice of lime
By the pitcher -- enough concentrate for 12 8-ounce servings
1 1/2 cups lemon syrup
3/4 cup orange syrup
juice from 6 limes
carbonated water and ice
Mix syrups and lime juice.
Pour into a large pitcher and add 60 ounces (about 2 liters) carbonated water.
Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup white granulated sugar
Put the water into a medium pot, Gradually add the sugar, stirring constantly. Warm the mixture over low heat, stirring gently until the sugar dissolves. Do not even bring it to a simmer. Just heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Keep simple syrup in the refrigerator for several days.
To make flavored syrups
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 tablespoon frozen concentrated juice mix, thawed
Mix together and use immediately or store in the refrigerator for two or three days
Prohibition lasted through five presidencies -- Wilson, harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and FDR. My book Soda Shop Salvation has more than one hundred tasty recipes for soda shop and non-alcoholic treats. You can find a sampling at the blog Soda Shop Salvation (http://bit.ly/16StU0j)
Easy Herbert Hoover World War I Cake
This recipe saves fat, sugar, and eggs and is a delicious way to taste history one dessert plate at a time.
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons lard (or butter)
1 teaspoon salt, optional
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 package (8 ounces) raisins, chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put everything but soda and flour into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 5 minutes after it bubbles, then cool. Stir in soda and flour. Put batter into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes. Cake keeps fresh a long time and can “be sent to men at the front.”
Lincoln Gingerbread Men -- click Blog Archive 2015 February heading to find this and another Lincoln recipe.
Copyright 2015 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved
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